iron enter his soul. Truth will live and die with truth. I will not wager a straw upon any man for his parts, let them be what they will, in point of long-suffering. What the man is at heart, that will he be for continuance in hardship for truth. Natural courage may do much in a desperate way, but deliberate trial, long-suffering, tires this quite. Nature can go no further than she can. The old man cannot travel; long pains and toil will make him petition for ease, for an accommodation, for any peace, so he may sit down quiet, and sleep in a whole skin.

An engaged heart cannot suffer long. A Samson will give up at last and betray his own life, who is engaged in heart to please a wife, a friend, his own unmortified heart, any one before God. A heart that will be drawn, was never, will never be a longsufferer. This is the worst temper of all for long work. This man hath his disadvantage within, Satan will often visit him, to spare himself, and his heart will find so much discretion at last, as to hearken to him, and chase sin rather than suffering, than suf. fering long. I never knew such a man but Satan would tempt him first or last. Either the glory of this world, or the terror of this world, the casting down from a pinnacle will fetch about that man in whose heart Satan, when he comes, finds something, some self-engagement. The heart so far as engaged is selfish; so far as a man is selfish, so far will he admit of parley with the evil one. The devil was never admitted to parley with man, but he carried it; his parleying will sway the selfish man to look to his skin and his life above his soul.

A careless spirit will never suffer long. It is

X A compt to be room that a

Im dod, hand

some men's spirit to make little of much, at a distance. Such men usually sink under a little, when it comes upon them. Confident men never prove long-suffering men.

Justice makes such know that they are but bubbles, a little stir breaks them, a little heat dissolves them. They are never in that good king's strait, "We know not what to do," so long as troubles keep at any distance, if it be but at skin distance; till troubles come to touch the skin, and touch to the quick, and then they know not what to do indeed. It is worse than long-suffering to some men, to be told of it, or to think of it. They drink down all, and feast dead their fears, and, I fear, their souls. Do ye not see this? Will feasting fit for hungering and starving? Will the killing of your souls fit you for the killing of your bodies? Will wicked wantons, filthy belly-gods, drunken, careless Nabals prove long-sufferers for truth? Will persons that cannot now live without excess, without too much, and too fine, do well when they shall want necessaries, and want them long? Surely these wretches will be doubly miserable when misery comes. They will wish themselves anywhere, to be delivered from the fruit of their ways. All the armour of God should be looked after with all diligence to make fit for long-suffering, and careless souls look after none, and yet they dream they shall suffer as long and as well as the best, but they do but dream. They will lose their souls in a dream; their carelessness will make their long-suffering as long as eternity.

I have spoken to take off security. I will also speak something to take off scandal, and so pass this point. Sufferings for truth fall out sometimes to be many and long; this is the point, and this is

likely to be our condition. England's troubles look as if they would be long, they have a long visage in my eye, several things make me think our suffering will be long.

Christians, be not offended, we cannot be too long in the hand of God. If long lying among the pots bring us forth with silver wings at last, our longsuffering will recompense itself. Who will then complain that England's sufferings have been too long? Gold seven times purified will glister gloriously. Thorough refining will make England the glory of all lands. If Joseph lie a prisoner long, and be raised to be a prince at last, hath he cause to complain of hardship? that his suffering was too long? A heart apt to take offence at God's dealing, is willing to depart. Let such go, God will have enough to do his work. Revolt under your longsuffering, and your suffering will be long indeed, as long as England lasts, as long as hell lasts.

SERMON XI.

COLOSSIANS I. 11.

LONG SUFFERING WITH JOYFULNESS.

To make a rod bud and become pleasant, to turn a hell into heaven; misery, long misery into joy; this is hard and high; yet thus high doth a christian's duty rise in this text, "Long suffering, with joyfulness."

This last term explains what kind of sufferings

the apostle means, namely, suffering for truth, the reproach of Christ; and this, how great soever should be treasure; how lasting soever should be under-v gone with joy; "Long suffering with joyfulness."

Sufferings are various, and differ in their nature, according to their immediate cause. Sin is the immediate cause of some sufferings, righteousness the immediate cause of others. When man suffers for sin, he should bear it, accept the punishment of his iniquity, and not kick against his Maker, how long soever such suffering be. But joy is not proper under this suffering, because such suffering speaks wrath, "I will bear the wrath of God, because I have sinned." Bearing is proper under divine displeasure, but not joy. To smile when God frowns is to despise the chasteuing of the Lord. No affliction is joyous, as it refers to sin and wrath.

Righteousness is the immediate cause of other miseries; patience is proper under these, and more. Suffering and joy; bearing long, and bearing long with joy, because these afflictions speak only the displeasure of man; not the displeasure, but the pleasure of God. A man should smile when God smiles; joy when God joys, though in a dungeon.

Suffering for Christ, how great, how long soever, ▾ should be managed with a spirit of joy. A man should suffer the spoiling of his person, the spoiling of his goods, the spoiling of all for Christ, and suffer it with joy; "Ye had compassion on me, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods," &c. Heb. x. 34. Joy is to follow the soul as long as the soul follows Christ; it is to follow the Lamb, and the follower of the Lamb, whithersoever they go. "Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice." The apostle speaks this to suffering

christians; he lifts, and lifts again, to lift the heart as high as its duty; which is to make christianity throughout a course of joy. To make fair way and foul way, all ways, all wisdom's ways, all Christ's ways pleasant. Some duties have their termination, joy hath none. It is an alway work, an everlasting duty. It is not to cease when goods cease, when honours cease, no, it is not to cease when all contents cease. It is to last summer, winter, spring, fall, day, night. Joy is the nightingale-grace in the soul, it is to sing all night long, let the night be ever so long, ever so dark, evermore,-Rejoice evermore. Truth and joy are never to part; they are to keep company together, and bear up one another; truth, joy; and joy, truth, till they lie down both together in the bosom of eternal felicity.

Duties are consistent; one duty is not to destroy another; the lean kine are not to eat up the fat; long suffering is not to kill and bury joy; yet this sweet child is never so near its grave, and its end usually, as when suffering is long. If Rachel suffer much, and suffer long, till all her children are not, joy is not. If her children be killed, she thinks she may kill her joy; if all be killed, she thinks she may kill all her joy, and never let it have more— "Refuse to be comforted." One beam of the sun does not devour another, they all shine together, which makes that celestial body so glorious; so all graces are to shine in a christian together, this gives a christian his glory," Long suffering and joy." Long suffering is a beam of God, this does not put out or darken other beams. He is long suffering indeed, he suffers more and longer than any of us, and yet he is joyous too. He does not merely bear, but joy